West Shore Community College today announced that its board of trustees has unanimously decided to name its library - the centerpiece of the newly constructed Campus Center - the Anderson Library, in honor of Dr. William M. Anderson, the founding and current director of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. 

Dr. Anderson served as the second president of the Scottville, Mich.-based college from 1983 to 1998 and has long and well-established ties to the West Michigan region.  He and his wife, Anna, are residents of Ludington.

"Throughout his career as a college president, an author, and now the director of a state agency with responsibility for libraries, Dr. Anderson has exhibited a love of books, scholarship and learning," said Dr. Charles T. Dillon the third president to serve at West Shore Community College.  "These attributes combined with his significant contributions to our college's success make this naming opportunity most appropriate."

Dillon described the Anderson Library as a place that would preserve the time-honored values of an academic library while embracing new technology to better serve students.  "The library, which includes a college archive, will offer better library space for users, collections, services and technology," Dillon explained.  "It is both a comfortable sanctuary for students and scholars and a campus-wide clearinghouse of information for scholars, researchers and students."

"My years at West Shore, during the college's formative time, were among the most challenging, rewarding and meaningful of my life, and my love for libraries is deep-rooted," said Dr. Anderson.  "My personal and professional heritage are entwined with this West Michigan community.  To have my name forever associated with the library of an institution I hold so dear is, for me, the ultimate honor."

In October 2004, the West Shore Community College Board of Trustees approved the submission of the Campus Center project as a state capital outlay request.  The project was the number one priority in the college's 2004 Facilities Master Plan.

The college worked closely with the architectural firm, Tower Pinkster Titus, and construction management company, Muskegon Construction, to plan the entire construction project.  The ground was broken in December 2006, site work began in February 2007, and the new building officially opened on Jan. 17, 2008, for the spring semester.  For more information about West Shore Community College, visit www.westshore.edu.

The Department of History, Arts and Libraries is dedicated to enriching the quality of life for Michigan residents and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity.  The department includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Michigan Film Office and the Michigan Historical Center.  To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).